Category Archives: This Week In the Classroom

This Week In the Classroom: The Simple Bench

It’s been a few weeks since I’ve let y’all into the woodshop at work.  We’ve been building the “simple bench”.  If you’ve been reading this blog long, you know I love building benches – butterfly benches, green benches, small benches and long benches.  My boys have been working off this pattern: And I give themContinue reading “This Week In the Classroom: The Simple Bench”

This Week in the Classroom: Spring 2012

In the Spring of 2012, I began my third year as a classroom teacher.  I planned on teaching the courses below.  It didn’t happen.  Instead of a woodshop/technology resource, I became a project-oriented classroom teacher.  I taught 6th grade Math/Science & MS/9th Grade Math/Science and took part in two environmental education program periods.  The paceContinue reading “This Week in the Classroom: Spring 2012”

This Week in the Classroom: Setting Up the Classroom in Stations

Success in the classroom begins before the students even set foot in the workshop.  Yesterday saw the re-opening of school after a long Spring Break.  My “classroom” looked like this: Let’s take a closer look.  First, a young man has been building and designing a bookshelf over the past quarter.  He’s just getting started sizing stock. Continue reading “This Week in the Classroom: Setting Up the Classroom in Stations”

This Week in the Classroom: What Do Plants Eat? And How Does It Grow Leaves? And Other Teaching Errors

What exactly, is a plant’s food?  And where do the raw elements that make up a tree trunk come from?  Take a moment and think up two answers. I had a student ask these questions on a recent field trip.  The answer given by the speaking biologist to the second question was wrong.  In fact,Continue reading “This Week in the Classroom: What Do Plants Eat? And How Does It Grow Leaves? And Other Teaching Errors”

This Week in the Classroom: The 2×4 Shaving Horse

In preparation for a walkin’ cane project, I built a dirty looking 2×4 shaving horse.  It ain’t named Trigger, though I might name it Jimmy Stewart.  Whenever I think of the description “long face”, I think of Jimmy Stewart. I’ll walk you through my build after the jump…

This Week in the Shop: Refurbish A Children’s Bike

The 16″ childrens’ bike project has cleared my outbox.  I’m busy in reflection mode with the students, examining all the different parts of our work for ways to improve the product, teaching and quality next time.  I thought the bike itself came out well: If you’ve followed the blog over the past two months, thenContinue reading “This Week in the Shop: Refurbish A Children’s Bike”

This Week In the Classroom: Quadracycle In Progress & DIY Wood Bongo Drums

It’s that time of week again – I’ve had some personal living arrangements wetness and have been living out of a dufflebag and a smile.  Reminds me of college, but at that time I didn’t have two in diapers… At the home workshop, I’ve been banging away. So, in one project, my segmented tube experimentsContinue reading “This Week In the Classroom: Quadracycle In Progress & DIY Wood Bongo Drums”

This Week In the Classroom: The Garden & Experiments in Wood

It’s been quite a week here on the range.  My sawing post made Make Magazine’s Blog. Traffic soared.  My father finally subscribed to my blog, which is intensely gratifying.  He taught me most of what I’m passing along. At work, we had some great stuff happen.  The kids worked very hard and made great stridesContinue reading “This Week In the Classroom: The Garden & Experiments in Wood”

How To: Teach Sawing to a Young Student

I have a perfect record in the woodshop.  No fatalities. I have had two injuries though this year (I average about one a quarter or semester).  Both happened due to good sawing habits gone bad. This picture shows my basic hand-saw set up when I cut a board to size.  I’m right-handed and for south-pawed students,Continue reading “How To: Teach Sawing to a Young Student”